Sunday, November 30, 2008

Syrian Biscuit Tin: Reading, England

The Syrian Biscuit Tin was found in the bakery of Huntley and Palmers. The bakery was located in Reading, England. When Huntley and Palmers first opened up their bakery they had no idea what kind of an impact that they would have on the entire town. From the 1870 to the 1970s, Reading became known as the Biscuit Town, all because of Huntley and Palmers. When their biscuits had become even more well knwon, Huntley and Palmers transferred their business to a factory in Reading. It was then that even the prison there was known as the "biscuit factory" only because it was located so close to the factory. Huntley and Palmers famous biscuits even had an impact on the football team in Reading. The men on the team were known as "biscuit men". Huntley and Palmers had a key location in Reading that really helped their business and the selling of their tins, like the Syrian Biscuit Tin. The bakery was located on a busy road, and close to the Crown Coaching Inn. This was key because it enabled Huntley and Palmers to sell their biscuits to travelers that passes through the area and stayed at the inn. It became easy for Huntley and Palmers to begin exporting their biscuits once the railroad was more developed. Huntley and Palmers also had a large impact on the town through providing jobs. Once the factory was opened, they were able to employ 5000 people. The business also created jobs outside of the factory with transportation needs. This new demand in labor allowed for the entire town to grow from 19,000 to over 88,000 in 1911.

Similar: Reading, England would be more similar to that of Culver City in California. There is a similarity because MGM has its largest studio here and is a great location for buildings, backdrops, landscapes and storage for props because it is so close to Hollywood. The MGM studio is a key part of Culver City like Huntley and Palmers is for Reading.

Different: A place that contrasts Reading would be Asheville, NC where the Victor Humpback Gramophone would be found. The reason these two contrast is because the Gramophone does not directly relate to the city in the way the Syrian Biscuit Tin relates to Reading.